It Will Be Me
by Hyperteenager24
Summary: A selection of incidents where John helped one of his family members, and then they returned the favour
1. Virgil

"MOM!"

John jumped slightly as he heard Virgil yell from the neighbouring room, his book falling from his hands. He glanced at the clock beside his bed…2:00am…great. Placing his book upon the table, john quietly snuck out of his room, glancing every so often at the door opposite his own.

Dad had insisted John have the room opposite his...he always was over-protective of his children, John most of all, due his slighter build and his sensitive nature. Tiptoeing carefully down the corridor, avoiding all the squeaky floorboards as he paused outside of Virgil's room.

"Virgil?" he whispered as he eased the door open. The room was relatively tidy, especially in comparison with Alan's and Gordon's…not that it took much. It had several easels in it, all of them containing some form of art. All along the walls, were various posters of different bands and in the corner was a guitar….their mother's guitar.

"Virgil?" Upon entering the room, John spotted his brother sat on the side of his bed, head buried in his hands as his shoulders shook silently,

"Virgil?" Virgil's head shot up, his eyes red from crying,

"John!" He sniffed and quickly wiped his eyes, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up!" John kept quiet, he had already had several lectures about his late night reading from his family, especially his Dad and Virgil.

Sitting down beside Virgil, John rested his hand upon the others shoulder…which was still shaking slightly,

"Do…do you want to talk about it?" Virgil glanced at John, and then sighed,

"It was just a stupid dream…."

"I still have nightmares about…that day too you know…"

"It's different for you John!" Virgil winced as his voice echoed around the room, and they both glanced at the door worriedly…silence. Virgil shook his head and continued in a quieter voice,

"You were there John, you-"Virgil paused at the distant look in his brothers' eyes and decided to change the subject slightly.

"I was still in the lodge, choosing the perfect photos of the holiday for the photo album…I only experienced everything second-hand…I shouldn't be having these nightmares"

"You still lost Mom Virg…same as everyone else in this family. I'd be concerned if you weren't having nightmares!"

"It was five years ago!"

"So?"

"I should be over it!"

"Again…you lost Mom, it's coming close to the anniversary. Everyone has bad dreams this time of the year, no matter how long it's been."

"…Is that why you just don't sleep at all this time of the year?" John chuckled,

"Let's face it Virg…I don't sleep much at any point of the year. Feeling better?" Virgil nodded, starting to settle back into bed as John got up to leave,

"Yeah, thanks….would you mind staying though…please?" Smiling, John agreed, and together the brothers settled in for the rest of the night. Each protecting the other.

…Cut to Thunderbird 5, years later…..

John yawned and stretched as he began to switch Thunderbird 5 to automatic. His Dad had been on the phone earlier, lecturing him on getting enough sleep whilst he was up here, threatening to drag him down to Tracy Island and getting Virgil to sedate him….he didn't feel like testing his Dad's patience….especially not at this time of the year. Before John could fully stand up to go to bed, the vid-com light flashed, indicating an oncoming call from Tracy Island. Pressing answer, John smiled as his brother, Virgil's face filled the screen.

"Virgil…" John yawned again "…what can I do for you?" Virgil smirked at his brother,

"I'm under strict orders to make sure you actually sleep tonight" John rolled his eyes and mock frowned,

"Well, I would have been if it hadn't have been for an over-protective family…."

"You know why we do it…."

"Yeah I know…Are you okay?" Virgil grinned,

"Yeah…it's that time of the year again. You've always helped us, and now that you're alone up there, it's time for me to help you."


	2. Gordon

John grinned as the sunlight hit his face, warming him to the core. It had been a hard few months for the Tracy family, ever since Gordon's hydrofoil accident which had left him in the hospital for four months and with physical therapy to follow on. The Tracy family physician had taken up residence on the island in order to help…however, they had ran into a problem…Gordon refused to do aquatic physical therapy.

Clutching his current book to his chest (The King's Curse by Philippa Gregory), John began to make his way down to the pool only to stop in his tracks. Gordon was sat on the edge of the pool, his feet lightly swaying to and fro under the cool, clean water, a frown on his face.

"Where's Doctor Sampson?" Gordon flinched at the sound of his brother's voice, his muscles tensing as pain rushed through them. John ran over in concern, placing his book down to rub a soothing hand over Gordon's back in an attempt to help the muscles relax.

"Sorry…" Gordon chuckled to himself, as he slowly straightened up,

"No worries…why aren't you with Dad and the terrible trio?" John sat beside his brother,

"I always thought you, Scott and Alan were the terrible trio. Besides, they're playing football on the beach…running around, getting tackled so hard that bruises form all over your skin…" John pursed his lips as if in thought, "….no thanks, the idea doesn't really appeal"

Gordon laughed, everyone knew that John preferred a good book rather than running about and getting sweaty for no apparent reason. John smiled gently as he began to read, simply leaving Gordon to his thoughts for a few minutes.

After five minutes of sitting in silence, feeling the sun beating down on them, John turned to Gordon,

"So…is there any reason why you're sitting here instead of sitting in the shallow end for a bit. We all heard the doctor, you need to start aquatic therapy soon…"

"….Sampson's not here…I'm waiting"

"You and I both know that that has never stopped you before…what's wrong?"

"…I'm scared Johnny" John frowned at the tremble in Gordon's voice, "…if I sit in the water instead of just dipping my feet, all I see is the darkness rushing up to meet me, the water filling my lungs and the searing…pain…in….my back!" Gordon gasped as an anxiety attack slowly began to take hold, his breaths coming in short bursts as his vision narrowed.

"Gordon! GORDON!" yelled John as he held onto his brother, gently encouraging him to take deep breaths. Slowly Gordon began breathe normally, his hands gripping onto John's arms,

"Sorry…" he gasped. John shook his head,

"It wasn't your fault…." John gently reassured, "…I should have been more considerate about everything….but you know you need to do this!" Gordon glanced at the water and then back at his brother,

"What has your therapist said?" asked John, noticing his brother's hesitance. Gordon scoffed,

"He suggested behavioural therapy, or systematic desensitization in order to get over the fear…"

"So…why don't you?"

"Do you know how long that takes?!"

"Depends on how many sessions you have…and then how often you have them a week. Four to six for a mild phobia and-"

"Alright! Alright! I get it!" John chuckled at Gordon's outburst,

"So what's stopping you?"

"It'll be another few weeks out of commission, on top of the weeks I have to spend on physical therapy! I'll go mad!"

"So, you confront your fear straight on…" Gordon glanced at the water, staring at it for a while before nodding,

"Alright…" he whispered. John nodded as he slowly began to remove his top and jeans until he was only in his boxer shorts. As he slowly made his way into the pool, John kept a careful eye on Gordon in case he started to panic again. When the water reached his chest, he smiled reassuredly at Gordon,

"Come on…" he beckoned, "…I'll be here every step of the way" It took a few minutes, but eventually, Gordon began to make his way into the water. Despite the paleness of his face and the shaking knees, John was eventually able to grasp into Gordon's hands and steady them,

"Alright…we'll take this one step at a time"

…..Cut to Years Later…..

Gordon gasped as he came up for air, the sun glistening off his wet skin. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a lone figure sitting on one of the desk-chairs reading a book.

"John!" he exclaimed in joy as he lifted himself up out of the pool, "I didn't think you were coming back for another few days yet!" John smiled,

"I wanted to surprise you, Virgil and Dad. Alan took over this morning and Scott piloted us back…whilst lecturing me on not eating enough and therefore being too skinny…smother hen" John gestured at the pool with his head,

"I see you've beaten your record again" Gordon grinned,

"If it hadn't have been for you, I never would have made it this far…I would still be sitting on the edge of the pool….remind me to make it up to you someday…"

"I'll hold you to that…"


	3. Scott

Warning: Attempted Sexual assault in this chapter!

"Miranda! Miranda we can't!" John paused outside of Scott's room, glass of water in his hand, as he heard a panicked voice. He had been making the finishing touches to his science project downstairs when Scott and his recent girlfriend had wandered through. She had only been over a few times before that…and she definitely did not like John…he didn't know why…

"O come on Scotty…" John edged closer to the door, trying to hear more…something wasn't right, "…only your freaky little brother is home…he's not gonna notice anything"

"John is not a freak!"

"Of course he is! Marcus says so!"

"And you listen to Marcus!? The guy's a douche, he's just jealous of John because of his high grades!"

"But he's not a freak….Scotty, come on, your brother has no social skills to speak of, he always has his head stuck in a book, he's obsessed with space-"

"How does that make him a freak?"

"He's not normal…not like your other brothers, they're cool! If John just tried to act normal, he wouldn't get beaten up every day!" John winced, he still had bruises from the last time….and the guys who were beating him up still flinched whenever they saw Scott and Virgil in the corridors.

"…Get out"

"What?!"

"You heard me, we're over, get out!" There was the sounds of a scuffle, with Scott swearing furiously,

"Get off me Miranda….Miranda get off! Look, I don't want to hurt you, get off!" John decided he'd heard enough. He flung the door open, and upon seeing the startled look upon Miranda's face whilst she was sitting on top of Scott, pinning his hands down with her own. John knew that it was perfectly possible for Scott to break free of the hold, but probably not without hurting her…

Thinking quickly, he flung the water from the glass in her face, causing her to squeal and release Scott. As Scott tried to get up, she lost her balance and fell to the floor, her make-up running down her face as she scowled in annoyance.

"YOU LITTLE FREAK!" she screamed as she lept up from the ground and ran at a stunned John. However, before she could land a hit, she was gently grabbed by the arms from behind,

"Leave him alone Miranda….now, I believe I asked you to get out!" And with that Scott led a complaining Miranda gently, but firmly out of the house.

John wandered back down to the kitchen to get a fresh glass of water. Upon hearing the front door slam shut, he strolled back into the living room to find Scott admiring his science project,

"This is really awesome Johnny…" John smiled shyly at the praise,

"Thanks…are you okay?" Scott nodded wearily,

"Yeah…it's just-I didn't think she would react that way! I didn't know she felt that way about you!" John simply remained silent….he didn't have the best of social skills, but even he knew that Miranda didn't like him. Love blinds after all.

"Thanks for the help by the way…" Scott pulled John into a hug. John returned the hug after a few minutes, burying his head in his older brothers' shoulder,

"Don't mention it…"

…..Years Later…...

John grinned to himself as main control room echoed with the sounds of a call coming in. Hitting the answer button, he smiled at the sight of his older brother's face,

"Hey, Scott, what can I do for you?"

"Can't I just see how my little brother is?!" John mockingly rolled his eyes,

"Not without a reason…what's up?"

"You won't guess who I saw today on the mainland…"

"…Who?"

"Miranda Hooper"

"…Oh, your ex-girlfriend!"

"Yeah, the one you threw water at, remember?"

"Yeeeaaaahhhh…dare I ask how she is?"

"Holding a grudge, she did nothing but swear at me and curse about you for about ten minutes"

"Well…she was in the wrong, so I can't say I feel too guilty…."

"You shouldn't…thanks again for that by the way" John smiled,

"No worries…hopefully you'll never have to do the same for me"


	4. Alan

Alan growled in anger as he slammed the living room door shut behind him, his feet stomping on the wooden floors as he made his way outside. His frustration was made even clearer when he began to kick a clump of grass, grunting out curses with each hit.

"Stupid…Gordon! Stupid…Scott! Stupid…Virgil!"

"Stupid John?" Alan span around in surprise to see John standing there, his book clutched against his chest as he looked at Alan with concern.

"What do you want?" groaned Alan "Come to make fun of me as well?!" John winced,

"You know I'm not like that Alan…"

"No…I don't John. You're never here! You're always upstairs reading!" John took a step back at the anger on his brothers' face,

"I-I-"

"How do I know you're not the same as them!?" John smirked,

"You think you're the only one that they make fun of?" Alan sat down in shock, John sitting next to him as Alan stared at him,

"B-but….you're the golden child! Top of your classes….Dad would do anything for you, and has done I think!" John chuckled at the last sentence,

"Well, I disagree with the last statement…he's just a little over-protective, I mean compared to you lot, I'm practically a twig!"

Alan couldn't help but silently agree. Him, Scott, Gordon and Virgil were clearly stockier and had a greater muscle tone due to the amount of running around and sports they did. John was more of a reader and preferred to stay indoors studying, he was also the one who looked like their mom the most and she had quite a slender build herself.

"They tease me as well Alan…" continued John, his eyes downcast as he stared at the paving stones, "…at least you know that the things they say aren't true, you're not useless or a screw-up…" Alan opened his mouth to protest, but John continued on undeterred,

"But let's face it…I'm exactly what they say I am. I'm a nerd…a geek…I'm strange, not like everyone else!" Alan frowned at the anger and the pain in his brothers' voice, but John still continued,

"What I'm trying to say is that….Scott and that lot aren't perfect either. Far from it in fact!"

"What do you mean?"

"You think Scott has never failed a class before? Or that Virgil has never made a mistake? Or that Gordon has never annoyed Dad to the point where he loses his temper?" Alan flushed at the memory of why he had stormed out in the first place,

"Why do they pick on me then?!" John smiled,

"You're young….an easy target. I'm an easy target because of my nature." Alan nodded in understanding,

"I'm making it easy for them by losing my temper too quickly…aren't I?"

"Yep….they continue to tease me because I very rarely show a reaction. It's like a competition to see who can make me lose my temper between the three of them. But with you, you react every time, no matter how insignificant the insult….your response is anger and they find this funny" John placed a gentle hand on Alan's shoulder,

"You just have to learn to control your temper…"

"How?" John smirked,

"I'll share my secret with you…how I manage to deal with them" John leaned closer to whisper into his brother's ear. What was said made Alan grin…o this was going to be fun…

…Years later…

"John! John!" John span around as he heard Alan run up to him, tackling him in a hug that almost lifted the slighter brother off his feet,

"Hey!" John laughed at Alan's enthusiasm, "How did it go?!"

"I nailed it!"

"That's awesome!" Alan opened his mouth to reply but they were interrupted by the loud conversation of the rest of the family,

"O hey Sprout!" exclaimed Gordon as he, Scott and Virgil entered the room, "…How many cars did you manage to crash then?" Alan frowned at the mocking tone in Gordon's voice and the accompanying laughter from Scott and Virgil that surrounded it.

"I passed if you must know…" Alan answered, speaking through clenched teeth as he helped John to steady himself after the heavy tackle.

"How much did you pay them?" Before Alan could lunge himself at Gordon, he was stopped gently by John placing a hand across his chest.

"Calm down and remember what I told you…" Alan smirked before focusing on the rest of his family,

"Hey Gordon….do you remember your high school prom?" Gordon frowned in confusion,

"Yeah but what-"He stopped as his eyes widened in shock, before facing John, "You told him!" John laughed at the surprise in Gordon's voice, and Alan continued,

"And Scott…whatever did happen with you and…what was her name, you know…Dad's secretary? Oh Rosie! That was it!" Scott flushed at the memory before turning accusing eyes on John. Before Alan could say anything else, Virgil held up his hands in mock surrender,

"No way. I don't want to know what you have on me" Alan and John glanced at each other before grinning at the other three,

"We've got to have some advantage against you guys, right Alan?"

"Right!" Scott, Gordon and Virgil glanced at each other before nodding in silent agreement, before walking away.

As they wandered off, John span round to give Alan a high five,

"Remember, just knowing that you have something over them helps when they start teasing you. Yu don't have to say anything…" Alan nodded sheepishly,

"I still lose my temper a fair bit…."

"Trust me…I know"

"But…you've helped…" Alan smiled, "Thanks John…."

"No worries Alan"


	5. Jeff

Thank you for all the lovely reviews, I'm so glad that so many people are enjoying this :)

...

John winced as pain shot up and down his leg, his hand shaking on his crutch as he tried to stop himself from crumpling to the floor. He hissed as he slowly made his down the corridor. It was past time for his painkiller dose but despite waiting in the living room like he had been told to do, his Dad had yet to make his way downstairs from the office.

John had waited for as long as he could, trying to focus on his book, but eventually the pain was too great. He tried shouting but there was no response, and as there was no-one else in the house (with his brothers back at school), he decided to make the long, painful journey up to the office…thankfully his Dad had installed an elevator to make the journey easier for him.

"Dad!" he called out, as he noticed the office door was slightly open, "Are you okay?!"

Silence

"Dad?" John limped closer and closer to the office. As he got closer, he could hear a quiet sobbing coming from the ajar door. He glanced at his broken arm and at the opposite leg, which was also broken and sighed wearily. He gently used the bad shoulder to nudge the door open, grimacing as the pain raced through his arm.

Upon entering the room, John instantly spotted his Dad slumped over his desk, a glass of whiskey still clutched in his hand,

"DAD!" he yelled. Jeff's head shot up from the desk, his eyes bloodshot as he squinted his eyes at the unexpected visitor,

"Lucy…?" he muttered. John flinched at the name. It had only been a few weeks since the…incident and John knew that his Dad was still suffering from it.

"N-no Dad, it's me….John?" Jeff shook his head wearily and refocused in on John,

"John…what are you doing here?" John opened his mouth, but before he could speak, his hands slipped on the crutch causing him to yelp as his leg knocked against the doorway. Jeff lept up from his seat and gently urged John to sit down on a nearby chair,

"How bad is the pain…speak to me Johnny?!" John tried to answer but his Dad kept talking,

"Okay! Okay! Don't panic! I'll call the doctor, stay-"

"Dad!" Jeff stopped in his tracks,

"I just need my painkillers" Jeff frowned in confusion, before glancing at the pill bottle on his shelf and then at the clock. The doctor had entrusted Jeff with the painkillers after John was cleared was go home, due to John not being old enough yet.

"Oh my God…" Jeff gasped in horror as he realised what had happened, "…John, I'm so sorry!"

"Dad! Dad! It's okay…the pain isn't that bad honestly!"

"…Please don't lie to me" Jeff went over to grab a couple of pills and carefully handed them to his son who swallowed them greedily,

"Thanks Dad…" Jeff growled on frustration as he began to pace the room,

"You shouldn't have to remind me about things like this! What is wrong with me?!"

"Mom…" Jeff flinched, but before he could speak John continued, "…You're a grieving husband, we understand! But you need to be a Father too…Scott's been playing that role at the moment, not you!"

Jeff nodded in understanding as he pulled up a chair next to John's,

"You need to stop all of this" John gestured with his good hand to the glass of whiskey on the desk.

"I-I don't think I know how…" John placed a gentle hand on his Dad's shoulder,

"Let us help you Dad…Please?" Jeff glanced at John….he looked so much like his mother…He nodded,

"Okay…where do we begin?"

….Years later…..

Jeff smiled at a nearby picture on his desk. It was taken the day before…well, before everything happened. He and Lucy were head to toe in snow gear, having just come in from a couples ski event. Scott had Virgil in a playful headlock, ruffling his hair as Virgil laughed. Gordon had his arm around Alan's shoulders and both had their fingers held up in the universal peace sign. John was in the middle, clutching onto his book (A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking) as he smiled shyly at the camera…he had been the only one who hadn't gone skiing, and after the next day's events, he wouldn't ever again.

The comm button flashed at his side, and Jeff smiled as John's face came on the screen,

"Hey Johnny, what can I do for you?" John mock scowled at the disliked name before grinning, his eyes quickly glancing at the parts of the office that he could see,

"Just calling to make sure that you were okay…are you?" Jeff chuckled slightly at the worry in his son's voice,

"Don't worry John. I haven't had a drink….anyway, aren't I supposed to be the over-protective one?" John shrugged sheepishly,

"Well you and Scott…Besides, it's that time of the year and I was…concerned…can you blame me?" Jeff shook his head, still smiling,

"No I suppose not…what would I have done without you? What would I do without you now?!"

"You would have been okay…I just knocked you out of it sooner" Jeff nodded in agreement,

"A good kick to the head…or forgetting my son's painkillers to the point where he had to painfully make his way to the office…it was exactly what I needed" Jeff smiled sadly, before shaking his head slightly and turning back to face his son,

"Thanks John…I don't want to know what might have happened if you hadn't have been there"

"Anytime Dad…well not anytime…you know what I mean" The pair laughed, the pain of the anniversary put to one side as they enjoyed each other's company.


	6. John

(Virgil)

Virgil sighed wearily as he continued to watch John toss about in his bed. After the Hood's recent attack, John had obtained several burns, bruises and broken bones, specifically his arm and several ribs. That wasn't the worst of it though…the worst was the nightmares. John was clearly distressed, making Virgil feel useless to help him.

"John?" He whispered as his brother's thrashing got worse, threatening to undo all of Virgil's hard work,

"JOHN!" he yelled, hoping to snap him out of his nightmare. When that didn't work, he attempted to pin John down in order to avoid him hurting himself even further. It was times like this, Virgil was glad about being a good deal stronger than John,

"JOHN PLEASE! WAKE UP!" John's eyes flew open, and they held no recognition in them,

"Mayday! Thunderbird Five is going down, I have to get out of here!"

"John! You're safe! You're safe I swear!" There was no reaction, so in a fit of desperation, Virgil slapped John on the cheek. Hard enough for it to have an effect, but not so hard that it would bruise. As soon as the thrashing started, it stopped, with John gasping for breath and tears streaming down his face.

"Virg?" he murmured, as Virgil softly brushed his brother's hair away from his eyes,

"Yeah, it's just me Johnny. How are you feeling?" John groaned as he became aware of the pain from his broken arm,

"Like I just survived a missile attack….and don't call me Johnny" Virgil grinned,

"As soon as you stop getting into trouble, I'll stop calling you Johnny. Apart from the pain, how are you feeling?" John winced,

"I keep re-living that moment…when the missile first hit. It hurt so much a-and I was scared…I thought that no-one would come for me, that I was truly alone…" Virgil shook his head,

"Never, you are never alone John, you must understand that! None of us even dreamed about leaving you up there, I swear I've never seen Dad move so fast!" Virgil smiled gently at his brother before continuing,

"Talk to me John, like when we were kids and I used to wake you up in the night screaming for Mom…please?" John nodded and the pair talked for hours, stopping only when John drifted off for the night. From that day on, John's nightmares began to decrease in severity and when they did show up, Virgil was there to listen and to help

(Gordon)

"Come on Johnny, the water's perfect!" John smiled at Gordon who was bobbing up and down in the pool, a big beaming grin on his face as he stared at his brother who was currently lounging by the pool, reading a book.

"No thanks Fish…" John chuckled, "…I've had enough of being dunked"

"That's shallow end fun, I'm talking about coming to the deep end with me and just swimming I swear!" Gordon frowned at John's continued refusal. He had noticed John's reluctance at being anywhere that would be difficult to get out off. Rooms with small windows and Thunderbird 5 being the main culprits. If John was now refusing to go into the deep end of the pool, then the problem was more serious than Gordon originally thought. Both he and John loved nature, whether it was water-based or space-based, for John to refuse spending some time in the water, something was wrong.

"John…come on…I'll be there every step of the way" John glanced up at the familiar words, before shaking his head and looking back at his book,

"I have no idea what you mean…"

"O come on Johnny, we've all noticed…Scott, Virgil, Dad, even Alan! You're tense in enclosed spaces, hell, you're spending so much time outside you'll start to tan soon, and if I'm honest, a tanned John just wouldn't look right…" John smirked at the teasing words, but Gordon continued,

"Thunderbird Five is your baby, you love spending time up there…the fact that you're putting off going back is totally out of character to you!"

Silence

"Do you remember how I was…after the Hydrofoil accident?"

"Of course I do…"

"Do you remember how you helped me get past my fear of water…you were there for me every step of the way? Let me do the same for you…" Gordon held out his hands, beckoning John to come into the deep end of the pool. After a few minutes of simply staring at him, John eventually made his way to the edge of the pool, and slowly lowered himself down, his face pale.

"Come on Johnny…you won't get stuck I promise!" Gordon gently took a hold of Johns' hands and guided him out into the middle of the pool, "I'm here…I'm here" Gordon knew that the pool wasn't the worst of John's fears, but it was the first step towards healing fully.

Gordon was true to his word and stayed with John throughout the whole process. Held hands as John shook and tried to leave the room with the smallest window. Now, as the pair stood in a newly re-built Thunderbird Five, Gordon couldn't help but smile at the relaxed look on John's face. Everything was as it should be.

(Scott)

"You don't mind, do you John?" John smiled reassuringly at his older brother as he swirled the coke around in his glass, the loud music thumping in his head as the rest of his brother's stood behind Scott and looked on in concern. It was known within the family that John was asexual, and therefore going to bars to meet girls (or boys) did not appeal to him.

"Scott, I'll be fine here. Now you guys go on and have fun" The guys nodded and dispersed into the crowd. John grinned to himself. It was rare that they got to spend any time on the mainland, but once they were there, the others decided to go to a bar…a noisy bar. John sighed and pulled a book out of his bag and settled down in the corner booth to try and enjoy his book. Almost half an hour later, John glanced up to find Virgil standing in front of him, before Virgil could speak, John interrupted,

"I'm fine Virg…" he emphasised, holding up his book as if to highlight this fact. Virgil held up his hands in mock surrender and smirked,

"Fine, fine…" He made his way back into the crowd and John was alone again. After another half hour of reading, John felt a presence beside him. He rolled his eyes as he turned his head to look at, what he assumed, was another brother coming to see if he was okay,

"Guys I'm-"John stopped…that wasn't any of his brothers. The man was clearly older than him, slicked back hair and a drunken grin on his face. Before John could say anything else, there was another presence at his other side, this time it was a female,

"C-can I help you?!" John stuttered as the pair boxed him in, their hands placed on various parts of his body…unwelcome hands at that,

"Sure ya can honey…" answered the women, sliding her hand up and down his arm until she grabbed a hold of his book, placing it on the table,

"…In fact, y'all can help us a lot…" continued the man, as he began to run his hands through John's hair, "…Ya see, me and my missus were hoping for a little bit of extra fun tonight. She likes the look of ya…care ta join us?" John attempted to shake his head, however, a firm hand grabbed his hair preventing the movement and causing John to gasp in pain,

"I-I'm sorry…" he gasped, "….But I'm not interested in stuff like that." The hand in his hair tightened and a second hand began to make its way down John's chest, slowly unbuttoning the buttons of his shirt. John began to struggle and beg for them to stop, but the music was either too loud for them to hear him or they just didn't care.

"Now, now…" cooed the man, "…That's mighty rude to the young lady. I'd apologise if I were y'all" John struggled harder, cursing his slighter build (and not for the first time either) and despite knowing martial arts, John knew that there was a chance that the two individuals may get seriously hurt,

"LET GO OF ME!" he yelled, struggling harder despite the hands tightening even further, trying to bend away from the hands that were edging closer and closer towards the button of his jeans.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF HIM!" rose a voice from above the loud music as the woman was forcefully dragged away by Virgil, who was clearly furious as Gordon and Alan stood behind him as silent support. John cried out as the hand in his hair was wrenched out, however, the man's ensuing yelp when Scott punched him was even louder. Dazed and confused, the man didn't fight back as Scott held his wrists behind his back,

"Come on…" he gestured to Virgil who began to escort the woman to security along with Gordon and Alan who had grabbed the man. John frantically tried to redo the buttons on his shirt, but his hands were shaking far too much for it to do any good. Before he could get frustrated, a second pair of hands joined his own and within seconds, the shirt was re-fastened,

"Are you okay?" asked Scott as he quickly scanned John for any obvious injuries, gently turning his cheek from side to side as John tried to sort his hair out,

"Y-yeah, I'm okay…"

"He didn't…you know?"

"No, it didn't get that far…Oh Scott!" John buried his head into Scott's chest and began to sob. After a few minutes of comforting him, Scott pulled away and gestured for John to follow, grabbing the glass of coke that John was drinking as they went,

"Come on Johnny, the others should have got to security by now. I want to get this coke tested to….just in case" John nodded as he wiped the tears from his eyes. When they got to security, the guards were questioning everyone. After getting John's perspective and then testing the coke, which tested positive for a date rape drug, the pair were arrested and the Tracy brothers decided to go back to the island. As they walked towards their private plane, John tugged on Scott's arm halting him in his tracks.

"Hey Scott…thank you, thank you for everything…" Scott smiled and pulled his brother into a hug,

"Don't worry about it Spaceman…"

(Alan)

"John? John Tracy?" Alan saw his brother flinch at the rough voice. John had showed up to watch Alan race (he came first place by the way) and the day was going brilliantly until this particular moment,

"John?" whispered Alan, trying to see what the matter was, but John just shook his head and plastered a fake smile on his face and turned around,

"Hey it is little Johnny!" The man was larger, much larger than the Tracy brothers and he was soon joined by three other men of a similar build. They formed a small semi-circle around the pair, arms folded,

"What's going on John?" whispered Alan urgently, but John just shook his head in a silent signal for Alan to keep quiet.

"You remember Johnny guys?" asked the man, laughing as he turned from side to side in order to talk to his friends who were laughing along with him, "Always had his nose stuck in a book, skinny and scrawny….easy target really…not like it ever bothered us."

Alan frowned as he saw John hunching in on himself, as if trying to make himself seem smaller. Alan remembered that this was something John used to do when they were younger…especially during high school. Scott and their Dad were very concerned about this unconscious behaviour…so much that John ended up being escorted to and from school every day…not that it stopped him from coming back severely bruised. It was common knowledge that John was badly bullied in school, having skipped a few grades making others quite jealous of him…so jealous that they would gang up on the blonde boy.

"What's wrong Johnny, are we scaring you nerd?" That was it for Alan, pushing past John, he stood in front of the laughing group of men,

"Look, I don't know who you think you are but you can't speak to him that way!" The men chuckled at the protective stance Alan had taken in front of his brother,

"This ain't none of your business kid, now why don't you go get an ice cream whilst the grown-ups talk" Alan scowled, but before he could lash out, he felt a gentle hand upon his shoulder,

"Don't do it Alan…" he whispered, but Alan just shrugged off the hand and took a step forward, his fists clenched in anger. He'd been professionally trained…these men, not so much…It was over in minutes with the men lying on the ground groaning in pain,

"Come on…" ordered Alan to his clearly shocked brother who was still staring at the fallen group. After a few minutes of not moving, Alan grabbed John's hand and pulled him along,

"You really shouldn't have done that…" mumbled John as Alan pulled them towards the car,

"It's what Scott would have done…or Virgil, hell even Gordon would have done it!"

"You're not Scott Alan…you don't have to act like that!"

"You're my brother John! The way they treated you was wrong and the way you reacted was even worse!"

"I-I could have handled it!" They'd reached the car by now and Alan climbed into the drivers' seat with John beside him.

"You're my brother…it's my job to protect you" John paused for a moment before rolling his eyes,

"It's bad enough with Dad, Scott and Virgil…and don't think I can handle you and Gordon as well" Alan laughed,

"Stop getting into trouble then…maybe the over-protectiveness will stop then"

"Not bloody likely…"

(Jeff)

"Put the gun down Mister Tracy…" Jeff's grip never wavered, his eyes focused on the maniac. The maniac who had his arm wrapped around the throat of his son,

"Mister Tracy, don't make me ask again…" The man pressed the barrel of his gun against John's head, tilting it as John stared straight ahead, trying not to show fear to his Father. The man sighed and clicked the safety off, the sound echoing throughout the room as John squeezed his eyes in preparation for what may happen next.

"Get your hands off my son…" growled Jeff, "…or I swear to god I'll shoot" The man laughed mockingly as he began to stroke the barrel of the gun up and down the side of John's face, almost in a loving way. Jeff scowled as he saw his son tense even further with the effort not to make any noise,

"Do you honestly think that you would be able to hit me without hurting your precious little boy?!"

"I've succeeded at crazier things to save my boys…now PUT THE GUN DOWN!" The man simply ignored him and addressed John,

"What do you think Blondie? How much faith do you have in your Father?" John opened his eyes and stared at Jeff, his blue eyes, identical to his mother's, shimmering with unshed tears…and a hell of a lot of determination,

"I have every faith in my Dad…always have and I always will, no matter what happens" The man pulled the gun away from John's head for just a second, but that was all the time Jeff needed. He acted.

BANG!

John flinched as he felt the blood hit his face. His knees began to shake as he collapsed to the ground, thankfully Jeff was there to catch him,

"It's okay, you're okay John…" Jeff began to wipe the blood off of his son's shocked face, the man groaning beside them

"Y-you shot him!" Jeff called the police and explained the situation to them as he lifted his son to his feet and began to lead him towards their car, which had been parked quite nearby. It was his own fault really, the car obviously highlighted the family's billionaire status…the man came out of nowhere and dragged John into an alley. Jeff knew that the gun he had bought as a last resort would come in useful,

"He had you…I couldn't lose you Johnny" Jeff whispered as the pair drove away, heading towards the local police station. John glanced at his Father,

"We're okay Dad…I promise" John smiled, "Thank you…I don't know what I would have done withou-"

"Johnny…you would have been fine…you didn't fight because you didn't want to hurt him and because you knew I was there. You would have gotten free without my help…you're stronger than you appear" John smiled shyly and rubbed the back of his head,

"Well…thanks anyway"

"…You're welcome Johnny"


End file.
